Afghanistan: UK Deployments

Lord Drayson: My right honourable friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Adam Ingram) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	As previously announced by the Prime Minister (Official Report, Commons, 30/6/04, col. 286), the United Kingdom is committed to deploying the Headquarters Group of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps to lead the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) from May 2006 to February 2007. In addition, the Secretary of State for Defence has previously informed the House (Official Report, Commons, 7/7/05, col. 479) of preliminary plans to support the expansion of ISAF by establishing a British-led provincial reconstruction team in the province of Helmand, in southern Afghanistan. The aim of both would be to help restore Afghanistan as a secure and stable state and prevent the country again becoming a haven for global terrorists.
	The ISAF is led by NATO, which is planning the expansion of the ISAF into the south and east of Afghanistan. Once those plans mature, individual allies, including the United Kingdom, will be able to take final decisions on deployment and on the nature of the capabilities that may be required. In advance of that, however, it is sensible to begin British preparations for a potential deployment. These are necessarily based on national planning assumptions that may need to be adapted in the light of NATO's conclusions and the final positions taken by individual allies and partners, including the UK.
	In the first instance, the tempo of work to prepare the ground in Helmand for a possible British deployment is being increased. Those activities are initially likely to involve some 250 troops. Preparations are also under way in the United Kingdom. Some units, predominantly drawn from 16 Air Assault Brigade and the Joint Helicopter Command, will shortly commence collective training on a contingency basis. Similarly, the procurement of certain equipment enhancements that may be needed for a deployment of this nature is under way.
	These necessary measures are prudent military preparations for a possible future deployment. They do not mean that these units or capabilities will be committed to southern Afghanistan in 2006. No final decisions have yet been made. Should the United Kingdom decide to commit additional forces to the ISAF in 2006, a full statement will then be made to the House as soon as possible.

EU Development Ministers: Informal Meeting

Baroness Amos: My right honourable friend, the Secretary of State for International Development (Hilary Benn) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	On 23 and 24 October, I chaired a meeting as presidency of the EU Development Ministers in Leeds. The agenda items were as follows:
	South Asian Earthquake Jan Egeland, the United Nations Emergency Relief Co-ordinator, briefed Ministers on the urgent need to respond to the south Asian earthquake. He called for more aid, particularly for shelter and helicopters. Ministers agreed that more money and help needed to be given and reiterated that co-ordination was vital both in the humanitarian phase and as reconstruction began. Commissioner Louis Michel announced that the Commission had asked the European Parliament to approve the release of an additional €80 million of EC funds in 2005–06, of which €30 million would be for humanitarian aid and the remainder for reconstruction. That would be in addition to the €110 million of support already committed by member states and the Commission. Further pledges were expected at a UN meeting in Geneva on 26 October. Ministers also agreed to work to strengthen the EU and UN's capacity to respond to future disasters.
	Reform of the International Architecture Ministers discussed the need to ensure that the international development architecture was fully equipped to respond to the challenge of delivering more and better aid to help maximise progress towards meeting the millennium development goals. There was recognition of the EU's leading role in the international development system and therefore the leading role that it should play in shaping its future—particularly as the EU will account for two-thirds of DAC aid by 2010.
	Mark Malloch Brown, the UN Secretary-General's chief of staff confirmed that the UN Secretary-General would appoint a team of experts to develop a proposal, in consultation with development partners and donors including the EU, for the reform of the UN development and operational architecture. That could include proposals for more tightly managed development, humanitarian and environmental entities. Ministers strongly supported the need to signal a high level of interest in and political support for reform to the international development system.
	Ministers noted the paper circulated by the Netherlands on UN reform but agreed that engagement should not be limited to the core group of EU and non-EU countries, referred to in the paper as the "G13". Instead, the EU as a whole should actively support UN reform, including the strengthening of country-level resident co-ordinators. Austria confirmed its intention to take forward work on UN reform during its presidency of the EU.
	Ministers also discussed EU aid effectiveness, noting the importance of providing sustainable and predictable funding and the need to address issues of aid distribution. The presidency confirmed that the 21–22 November General Affairs and External Relations Council would include the annual orientation debate on how to improve and monitor the effectiveness of European aid.
	Putting Trade at the Service of Development Peter Mandelson, European Commissioner for External Trade, emphasised the importance of achieving a good outcome for developing countries from the Doha development round. He urged Development Ministers to help demonstrate that the EU is ready to put trade at the service of development, reinforcing Europe's role as a force for good in the world. That meant that we needed to deliver on the obligations stemming from last year's framework agreement, including providing our partners with significantly improved agricultural market access. He highlighted the need to push hard for a development "down payment" for Hong Kong. That should include other OECD countries following the EU's lead in giving Everything But Arms (EBA) access to all least developed countries; achieving the right degree of differentiation in trade rules; and commitment to dedicate significantly increased resources—at EU and national levels—to help poorer countries build their capacity to trade. Development Ministers agreed that, although the negotiating specifics were clearly a matter for trade colleagues, they had an important role to play in ensuring priority concerns of developing countries were addressed before and after the WTO ministerial in Hong Kong.
	Ministers agreed on the importance of increased market access for products in which developing countries had comparative advantage, especially agricultural products; the need for all agreements to reflect the different levels of development of developing countries and the fact that there were millions of poor people working in middle-income developing countries, especially in agriculture; and the fact that south—south trade had to be part of the solution for development in least developed countries, while recognising that that was no substitute for action by the EU. Ministers highlighted the importance of an urgent WTO response to the plight of west African cotton producers, as set out in a paper circulated by France.
	Ministers emphasised the importance of ensuring that economic partnership agreements were successful development tools and that an effective mechanism for monitoring implementation was needed as soon as possible. Ministers agreed that increasing support to help developing countries build their capacity to trade was a high priority and called for the presidency and Commission to put forward a proposal on the EU's possible contribution to an enhanced aid-for-trade package ahead of Hong Kong. Ministers also noted that many developing countries would look at sugar as a test of EU support for their concerns and that transitional assistance for sugar producers needed to be made available in 2006.
	Development Policy Statement (DPS) Discussions on the development policy statement clarified some important issues. There was consensus that poverty eradication remained the primary objective, while globalisation provided the context in which development was pursued. There was broad agreement that, although our development objectives for working in low-income countries and middle-income countries were the same, the way in which we implemented and approached development assistance would be different, according to partner countries' situations and needs.
	There was agreement on the need for a shared EU vision for development and for the EU to work together more effectively and more coherently, in line with the Paris Declaration. Doubts were expressed on the need for and feasibility of a single thematic framework for all EU development activities. However, it was important to indicate in a comprehensive way common objectives and principles and a shared understanding of the breadth of activities needed to eradicate poverty.
	There was broad support for the EC to underline its areas of excellence; building on its strengths and experiences and to identify where at community level we needed to further develop expertise. However, there was recognition that that should not restrict the Commission from working in other areas. What is needed is a balance between the need to concentrate efforts in country, while retaining the flexibility to respond to a range of partner countries' priorities.
	Discussions on the development policy statement will continue at working level, with the aim of reaching consensus on a tripartite statement between the Council, Commission and Parliament by November.
	EU-Africa Partnership Donald Kaberuka, president of the African Development Bank emphasised the need for the EU strategy to identify the comparative advantage of EU institutions in the international donor community; to recognise the importance of anchor countries because of their influence on low-income countries; and, to work through and build capacity in existing African institutions. Ministers agreed that strengthening African institutions was particularly important.
	Ministers welcomed the Commission's Africa Communication, which will form an integral part of the overall EU Strategy for Africa to be agreed at the December European Council. Ministers agreed that the November GAERC should adopt positive conclusions—broadly in line with the outline discussed by COREPER the previous week—on the communication. Ministers highlighted the importance of peace, security and migration and other issues, and the need to ensure that we got the right balance between the different elements. Ministers noted that enhancing political dialogue was a key element, including participation of civil society and parliamentarians in Africa. Ministers also agreed on the need to follow up and effectively monitor implementation of EU commitments on more and better aid.
	European Development Fund (EDF) There was agreement that the Council should consider the non-financial elements of a possible EDF10, especially in relation to effectiveness, without prejudice to the outcome of discussions about the 2007–13 financial perspective (EC budget).
	Sudan/Darfur There was agreement that both the UN presence in southern Sudan and the African Union force (AMIS) in Darfur needed strengthening and that capacity building of the African Union to manage peacekeeping operations was essential. Delegations agreed that the benefits of the comprehensive peace agreement were not yet being felt in Sudan, which threatened hopes for long-term peace. All atrocities were unacceptable. Member states agreed to give any evidence of specific atrocities to the sanctions committee and the International Criminal Court.
	Food Crisis in Southern Africa Delegations agreed that the EU should continue to provide significant support to countries affected by food shortages in southern Africa. Zimbabwe was highlighted as a particularly difficult case following the misreporting of harvest figures. Commissioner Louis Michel suggested that future EDF allocation criteria should reflect food security levels.
	Ethiopia/Eritrea Delegations noted with regret the fact that relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea remained difficult, as did the situation in Ethiopia following the elections.

EU Presidency: GAERC

Lord Triesman: A General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) was held on 7 November in Brussels. My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary (Mr. Jack Straw) and the Minister for Europe (Douglas Alexander) chaired the council as presidency. The Minister for Europe also represented the UK on certain agenda items.
	The agenda items were covered as follows:
	Report on Informal Heads of State/Government meeting (Hampton Court, 27 October 2005)
	The presidency presented the six remits from Hampton Court: research and development, universities, demographic challenge, energy, migration, and the common foreign and security policy/European security and defence policy (CFSP/ESDP). The Commission said that it would take forward the first five remits, in consultation with the current and future presidencies. The high representative, in association, where appropriate, with the presidency, the future presidency and the European Commission, agreed to take forward work in the area of CFSP/ESDP.
	World Trade Organisation (WTO)/Doha Development Agenda (DDA) Following up the extensive GAERC discussion and agreed conclusions of 18 October, Commissioner Mandelson updated the council on the state of play in the DDA negotiations in the light of its recent conditional offer and forthcoming meetings among WTO members. The Commission confirmed that it was continuing to act within its mandate and would continue to ensure that the council was fully informed of developments in the negotiations. The council also agreed, as an A point, conclusions noting support for Saudi accession to the WTO.
	Financial Perspectives 2007–13 The council exchanged views on the EU's budget for 2007–13 and identified the areas that will need to be addressed in order for the presidency to reach an agreement at the 15–16 December European Council: (i) the structure of EU spending; (ii) modernising the budget, including a timetable for review; and (iii) the system of EU own resources. The presidency concluded that work on those areas should continue and that it would return to the issue at the 21–22 November GAERC.
	Belarus The presidency introduced the item noting the deteriorating situation on human rights and political freedoms in Belarus. High Representative Solana underlined the difficulty faced by the EU in trying to bring about reform. Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner agreed, noting the efforts to realign aid towards support for civil society. A large number of delegations expressed concern at the deteriorating situation and highlighted the need to intensify contact and support to civil society. The council also noted the importance of free and fair presidential elections in 2006 and called for the Belarusian Government to issue an early invitation to an OSCE/ODIHR monitoring mission. The council expressed willingness to take appropriate restrictive measures against responsible individuals in the event of a failure to uphold international standards. Council conclusions were agreed that committed the council to a further GAERC discussion in January 2006.
	Kosovo Over lunch, the council held a discussion with Martti Ahtisaari, the UN Secretary-General's future Kosovo status envoy. Ahtisaari welcomed EU involvement in the status process and gave an initial indication of how he intended to take forward his mandate. He also flagged the importance of addressing Kosovo's poor economic situation. High Representative Solana nominated Stefan Lehne as EU representative to the Kosovo status process. The council expressed strong support for Ahtisaari's appointment and endorsement of Stefan Lehne as EU representative. Council conclusions were agreed.
	Iran The council reviewed the EU's overall relations with Iran. It condemned President Ahmadinejad's reported remarks calling for Israel to be wiped from the map. They agreed that recent developments had been discouraging in the EU's main areas of concern, including Iran's approach to WMD and terrorism, the human rights situation, and Iran's policies towards the Middle East peace process and regional issues. They noted the importance of the EU/Iran comprehensive dialogue and urged Iran to take steps to resume substantive discussions under the EU/Iran human rights dialogue and to demonstrate by its actions that it was willing to improve respect for human rights. They agreed to keep the EU's relations with Iran under close review. Council conclusions were agreed.
	Syria/Lebanon The council underlined the significance of the unanimity achieved on UN Security Council Resolution 1636 on Syria and reviewed progress on the implementation of UNSCR 1559. Council conclusions were agreed.
	MEPP The council discussed an invitation from James Wolfensohn, quartet special envoy for disengagement, on behalf of Israel and the Palestinian Authority for the EU to play a monitoring role at Rafah on the Egypt-Gaza border. Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner and High Representative Solana highlighted that an EU role in this area would help build confidence. In discussion, member states supported the idea of EU involvement in a non-executive monitoring role. This was the fruit of a continuous effort on the ground, which would reinforce the EU's political role. The presidency concluded that there was a general endorsement for the proposals by the high representative and the Commission. Council conclusions were agreed.
	Iraq The council agreed conclusions that welcomed the 15 October referendum on the Iraqi constitution.
	UN World Summit follow-up The presidency introduced this item, noting that effective follow-up to the UN summit was a priority for the EU. Member states highlighted certain aspects such as the Peacebuilding Commission, Human Rights Council and counter-terrorism as key areas for urgent action. The council agreed extensive conclusions that set out the agreed EU position on all the key areas of summit implementation.
	Avian Flu The presidency introduced the item, noting the earlier discussion at the GAERC on 18 October. The Commission noted that work within the EU was well advanced. The council agreed conclusions that detailed the range of work under way, including a comprehensive action plan.
	AoB: Colombia Dutch Foreign Minister Bot highlighted the importance of EU support for the peace process in Colombia. The presidency noted that the 3 October GAERC had agreed conclusions on support for the peace process in Colombia, which set the framework for EU policy.
	AoB: Cuba The Czech Republic highlighted the problems faced by its embassy in Havana in celebrating their national day.

EU: Education and Youth Council

Lord Adonis: My honourable friend the Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education (Bill Rammell) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The Secretary of State for Education and Skills will chair the education and youth council that will be held in Brussels on 15 November. I will represent the UK during the education council, and Peter Peacock, Scottish Minister for Children and Young People, will represent the UK during the youth council.
	There are four substantive items on the education agenda in the morning.
	Ministers are expected to endorse a partial political agreement on the Lifelong Learning programme. This will involve agreement on all parts of the programme without budgetary implications.
	Ministers will be asked to adopt a resolution on enabling higher education to make its full contribution to the Lisbon strategy. There will also be an informal discussion over lunch of issues relating to higher education based around questions relating to making more higher education institutions world-class; stimulating more public/private partnerships; university-business links and postgraduate study.
	Ministers are also expected to adopt conclusions on the role of the development of skills and competences in taking forward the Lisbon agenda. The conclusions build on discussions at the informal meeting of Education Ministers in London on 12–13 July and are a presidency initiative but fit within the ongoing education and training 2010 work programme.
	There will be an exchange of views on the Education and Training 2010 work programme—Joint Interim Report 2006. The discussion will focus on the following question: "What priorities, in relation to both economic and social objectives, should the 2006 joint report set for the next phase of the education and training 2010 work programme?"
	The youth council will take place after lunch and Ministers will be asked to:
	endorse partial political agreement on the Youth in Action programme. As with the Lifelong Learning programme this will involve agreeing on all sections of the text without budgetary implications;
	adopt a resolution on implementing the European Pact for Youth and promoting active citizenship; and
	take part in an exchange of views on Bringing Europe Closer to its Young Citizens.

Export Controls

Lord Davies of Oldham: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (David Lammy) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	I have today laid before both Houses of Parliament the revised statutory guidance on the criteria to be taken into consideration when making a decision about whether or not to grant an export licence, as required under the Export Control Act 2002.

National Insurance Contributions Bill 2005

Lord McKenzie of Luton: My right honourable friend the Paymaster General (Dawn Primarolo) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	To assist in further consideration of the National Insurance Contributions Bill, introduced to Parliament on 27 October, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs is today publishing draft regulations in respect of:
	the first use of the powers in the Bill to backdate national insurance liability to reflect the provisions in Schedule 2 to the Finance (No. 2) Act 2005;
	proscribing an additional statement to be contained in future forms of national insurance elections that will make it clear that the election cannot transfer backdated employer's national insurance liabilities to their employees. The regulation is to be made using powers in the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992; and
	extending the tax avoidance disclosure rules to national insurance.
	Copies of the draft regulations have been placed in the Library of the House and will be available on the HMRC website.

Pensions

Lord McKenzie of Luton: My honourable friend the Economic Secretary (Ivan Lewis) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The new simplified regime for the taxation of pensions begins on 6 April 2006. I can today announce that registered pension schemes will be permitted to submit reports and returns in paper form for at least six months before the requirement to submit information online becomes mandatory.
	HMRC's Pension Schemes Online service will become available over a number of releases throughout 2006–07. Pension scheme administrators and practitioners will be able to meet most of their statutory filing requirements online at the time that they are required, but paper returns and reporting will also be offered as a supplementary means of filing for a limited period.
	HMRC will continue to work closely with the industry over the forthcoming months to support the implementation of the new regime. HMRC will hold discussions with the pensions industry and software suppliers to establish what issues the delay may present and how best to address them, before moving to a mandatory online filing regime.
	The delay will not affect HMRC's ability to deliver pensions tax simplification on 6 April 2006. The vast majority of pension schemes and their members will also not be affected by the delay. The new pensions regime heralds greater opportunities for 15 million pension savers to save more into a pension scheme and enjoy the associated flexibilities around contributions and the taking of retirement benefits.

Reserve Forces: Afghanistan

Lord Drayson: My right honourable friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Adam Ingram) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	With the expiry of the call-out order made last October, a new order has been made under Section 54 of the Reserve Forces Act 1996 to enable reservists to continue to be called out into service to support operations in Afghanistan. The new order is effective until 31 October 2006. Reservists have made a valuable contribution to operations in that country, and some 63 reservists were called out under the order made last year.

Social Fund

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (James Plaskitt) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	My right honourable friend the Secretary of State will be making a number of minor changes to the discretionary social fund, with effect from 14 November 2005. The changes to the fund are minor clarifications of guidance and directions, and, in the main, are consequential to legislative changes made in respect of other social security benefits.
	Details of the changes have been placed in the Library.